Automotive Photography

GuardsmanBlue

GuardsmanBlue

Member # 004
O'Fallon, MO
First Name
Clyde
Last Name
Johnson
Hello all, sorry I don't make it on here much. Hope you've all been able to get some drives in between heat waves. Just wanted to share a photo I took of our Cobra the other day. I'm looking for some constructive criticism from some car guys/gals and any photographers out there. This was my second attempt, the first wasn't very well lit. I took it in my driveway. Keep in mind the car is not painted, just the gel coat. I have a few ideas of some other shots I'd like to try as well. I'll update this post as I take more shots.
Tom
7752237294_c64c57c026.jpg

Cobra by cbrdsm, on Flickr
 
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Can you let us know what camera, lense, filters etc.? I just bought a DSLR and am trying to figure out how to use it all. Would love to get some good car shots as well.
 
What kind of DSLR did you get?

The photo gear I used to get this shot:
Canon 40D DSLR
Canon 70-200 F2.8L IS II lens
2 Yongnuo YN-560II flashes (cheap Chinese knockoff flashes that work surprisingly well). They don't have any TTL functionality, but I use a Canon 580EXII for that. The Yongnuo's are great for off camera, strobist type work.
A tripod is a must.
No filters, although a polarizing filter might have reduced the reflections in the windshield.
This shot was 18 or so exposures put together in Photoshop.
 
I like it. My favorite shots of this car show the lines and curves of the fenders, the scoop, and the headlight buckets. So this shot really captures a lot of that as well as the sinister look of the car about to pounce on something. Need some shots for the calendar you know. :D
 
Thanks Tim, that's where my focus was, capturing the curves of the car, and that's where the first shot I took fell short. It's really different shooting a black car at night when compared to shooting anything else. Anything else you need to throw light onto the subject, but a black car you need to light the surroundings. I really appreciate the comments, I'd like to eventually turn this into a side job, so as many comments as I can get (good or bad) I would really appreciate. As far as a calendar shot, you're welcome to use anything you see. I'll keep posting shots as I take them. If you see one you think is calendar worthy, let me know and I'll send you a clean file without the border/copywrite info.
 
Tom that is awesome. How did you do that in your driveway?
You are an artist.
So, you know I have to ask - why aren't you shooting all of our cars for the calendar?
We could really elevate the art level of the piece. I had to ask.
 
Thanks Mark! That means a lot coming from someone with your background. As far as how I did it in my driveway, I had to construct a huge softbox. Unfortunately it wasn't big enough, so I had to take multiple exposures, moving the softbox after each shot. Once everything was set up it took about an hour to do the shoot.

I would be happy to shoot the calendar. It would be great practice for me and would really add to my portfolio. I do have some equipment I have to sort out first. I'm working on a rig that should allow me to get some interesting action shots.
 
Thank you, the 18 exposures was in part due to the lack of equipment. A few more flashes and a larger softbox would've helped. I do like the multiple exposure approach though, it gives you a lot more control over the light intensity of each area. The ground was lit separately from the car and it was way to bright/distracting, so since it was on a separate layer in Photoshop I was able turn that layer down.
 
Here are a few more shots from this weekend.
7778141048_065b58e328_b.jpg

'65 VW by cbrdsm, on Flickr
This was a 30 second exposure, no additional lighting, I did have to overlay a shorter exposure of the street light as the one from the 30 second shot was completely blown out.
 
7778142728_1221619db1_b.jpg

Automotive Rig Test Shot by cbrdsm, on Flickr
This was a test of the rig I built. Imagine a 16' aluminum pole attached by suction cup to the windshield hanging out over the hood with the camera mounted to it pointing back at the car. I then rolled the car at about 2 miles per hour and took a 2 second exposure.
 
Thanks guys. Tim, that was my plan, but I'm a little nervous using the current setup on a Cobra. I couldn't bring myself to attach a suction cup to a painted car body, so I've been setting it up on the windshield, but Cobra windshields are notorious for cracking if too much weight is applied. I'm modifying the rig to use magnets to attach to the underside of the car. I'm having a hard time finding magnets that will get the job done, so it'll probably be a mix of magnets and straps beneath the car. Still need to do some more testing on the Pathfinder. Think we can convince the new owners of Gateway to give us an hour or two on the track in exchange for some photos?
 
Thanks for the suggestion Steve, I've heard you have to watch your fingers around those magnets they're so strong. I was a little nervous about using neodymium as I would have to store them away from the rest of my camera gear and I'd be afraid I would damage something when I attach them to the bottom of the car and then try to position them. I picked up a couple of these:
http://www.magswitch.com.au/
I think if I buy the stronger ones (I bought the 150lb version) that I could get them to work. I like that you can position them and then turn them on, no issue pulling them off either.
 
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